A Glimpse into the Daily Operations
Delivering coal is no small feat. The delivery process plays a crucial role in ensuring that orders get from our warehouse to your coal box efficiently and on schedule. Each day presents unique challenges and successes, all while maintaining top-notch customer service. Let’s dive into what a typical day looks like for me, whether im in Midlothian, Peeblesshire or South Lanarkshire.
The Early Start
Before the sun rises, we are up to get the best start of the day possible. Each morning begins with Raymond talking all orders whether is online, telephone or even facebook and puts them all in one place, this can be done as early at 4am - 5am. Ross (who you will most likley see on delivery, sorts orders into loads, and customer order for the day’s deliveries, routes, and any special instructions or challenges that may face. This time is crucial for preparing mentally and ensures that everythings in order to ensure the smoothest of days.
Planning the Route
After the orders are all in place planning the route is the next. Through years of experience I have found the best times for certain areas. for exapmple a Village like West Linton or a Town like Peebles are best done as early as possible, before the school and work rush starts, then i would typically head for a more rural location until after 930am before returning to higher populated areas, it just makes the delivery process smoother, and alot less stressful. A well-planned routes can save up to 30% in fuel costs, which is good for both our budget and the environment.
On the Road
Im on the road (especially in winter time) for about 0645, a bit later when its less busy in summer.
Throughout the journey, Responsibilities during this time include:
- Ensuring Orders are handled with care
- Navigating efficiently to meet delivery windows
- Providing excellent service at every interaction
Customer Interaction
One of the most rewarding aspects of the job is the customer interaction. However in the modern times, there are also some customers i have never met, as the order is bought online, and thats fine, the world is a busy place people work hard. Then on the other end of the scale i also have customers that i can be the only person they see that day or even week, so its always a pleasure to spend a bit of time with them also. I even had a customer who thought it would be a good idea to have ladders ready for me to clean their gutters the week before Christmas, and then say "you must be busy at this time of year"!
Wrap Up and Reflections
As the deliveries comes to an end, I head back to the base. The next job for me is to restock all the coal, and get ready for tomorrow, to do it all over again,
In conclusion, a day in the life of deliveries is rewarding, its hard, but made easier through good planning, and good laughs on the road. Hope to see you out on my next delivery. Ross.